RECRUITER FINDS JOBS FOR DISABLED ADULTS
Boca-based job recruiter for people with special needs places about 80% of clients.
Debbie Telsey is a former special education teacher and executive recruiter who blended both careers into a business. Two years ago, Telsey co-founded I Can Living and Learning Center, a Boca Raton-based company that helps find jobs for adults with disabilities.
“It’s the perfect job for me,” Telsey said. “I love being a recruiter of people with special needs.”
Telsey said various social service agencies refer clients to her and her team of nine job coaches. The clients are all ages and have disabilities ranging from physical to intellectual.
But with one-on-one coaching, including pre-employment classes, Telsey said I Can Living is able to place about 80 percent of the people who seek her help finding jobs.
Telsey said she’s constantly seeking out employers who are willing to hire. Many are surprisingly pleased with the candidates she finds because “they are the best employees they’ve ever had,” she said. “They are so happy at being given a chance, they usually work very hard.”
As an example, she cites a Haitian woman whom Telsey helped find a job. “She was very poor and scared, plus she was a deaf-mute,” Telsey said. “But I got her a job making $10 an hour fulltime. She sews tablecloths. They love her. She works so hard.”
While Telsey said she’ll help anyone who wants to work, there is one disability she will not abide: “If you have a bad attitude, that’s a disability I can’t help,” she said.
Name: Debbie Telsey
Title: I Can Living and Learning Center co-founder and vocational program director.
Age: 55
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio. I live in Boca Raton.
Education: B.S., special education from the University of Cincinnati
Family: Two daughters: Melissa, 28; and Samantha, 25
About your company (revenue, clients/caseload, employees, mission): I Can Living and Learning Center is a nonprofit that helps individuals with disabilities become as independent as possible through appropriate employment. We have nine employees and have assisted between 300 and 400 people. We began two years ago, in July 2016. We are a vendor of the state of Florida and are paid by the state when we place people in jobs.
First paying job and what you learned from it: I worked at a dry cleaner, taking in people’s clothes. I learned customer service and the importance of having good relationships with people. I also learned responsibility. People count on you. That carries over into what I am doing now because I give a lot of people their first job, and I remember what it was like.
First break in the business: My background as a recruiter and also helping people with disabilities. I’ve been working for a long time with agencies, and so I have a strong relationship with the counselors from vocational rehabilitation centers.
How your business has changed: Employers are more understanding that just because someone has a disability does not mean they’re not capable of doing a job. I’m not asking employers to feel sorry for people. I just want them to give people a chance to do the job. If you do so, not only do you change someone’s life. You also get a tax break if you hire someone with a disability.
Best piece of business advice you ever received: Work hard, try your best. And look at a person’s abilities, not their disabilities.
What you tell young people about your business: I always worked for other people. I never thought of myself running my own business. But I had a friend, Alison Alberti, who became my business partner. I told her I had never run a business. She said, “I’ll help you.” I left my job where I was doing very well, but it was the best thing I ever did. So I would tell people to follow your dreams. Because this was a dream, and it’s been a success.
Many successful people learn from failure. Do you have a failure you can share and what you learned from it? I met a young man who had schizophrenia and was homeless. Being a mom, I just put my heart and soul into this gentleman. I got him a job and made
sure he was fed every day by his job. I wanted him to be my success story. But he couldn’t hold a job because of his mental illness. What he really wanted was to continue to live on the streets. I learned I have to help the people who want my help. I have to prioritize those that really want to work.
What do you see ahead for Palm Beach County? I hope more employers will give people with disabilities a chance.
Power lunch spot: I live at Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks because that’s where I meet my clients. I know everyone from MiamiDade County to Palm Beach County.
Where we’d find you when you’re not at the office: At a networking event, or with a dog I just rescued and hope will be a therapy dog. It’s a goldendoodle puppy named Oliver. I also play mah-jongg and hang out with family and friends.
Favorite smartphone app: MileIQ. It tracks your miles.
What is the most important trait you look for when hiring? Dedication to helping people with disabilities. Also, patience and empathy.